Despite all the months upon months upon months of planning for your wedding...in the end, sometimes you just have to improvise.

Mark and Ilana learned that firsthand when the person they'd hired to shoot their wedding didn't show up. D'oh! But instead of dwelling on it, they simply asked their guests for any footage that they may have taken with their cameras or iPhones and then edited it all together to make this very sweet video. (Warning: You may choke back a tear or two...I know I did!)

I mean, who needed that videographer, anyway? This video ended up with such a lovely, personal, organic kind of feel—can't you see Mark and Ilana's kids showing this to their kids for years and years? (Although I really, really hope the videographer gave them their deposit back, if there was one!)

Sweet, isn't it? And maybe one reason to not have an "unplugged wedding"—just in case, I mean!

Video: YouTube

As we're enjoying our work-free Labor Day (at least, most of us are—I know some of you might actually be, you know, laboring), here's something to ponder: there are people having weddings today!

It's one thing to have a wedding on a holiday weekend—and Kim put together an excellent list of pros and cons about doing so (hey, Kate Bosworth and Seth Meyers thought it was a "do," each getting married—to other people, of course!—this holiday weekend)—but what about on the holiday itself? Would you do it?

Obviously, you can plan your wedding for any day you want. But choosing a major holiday means that some invited guests just might not be able to come, since they have plans to spend with their families or go on vacays of their own.

Still, some holidays seem like they're totally fine for weddings—how many Valentine's Day or Halloween weddings have you attended (with themes to match, of course)?

So what about a day like today? Yes, it's a Monday, which brings plenty of challenges on its own (as well as some benefits—hey, guests won't have to ask for an extra day off of work). But would you ever have a wedding on a holiday—or would you attend one, as a guest?

More wedding etiquette questions:
* Can your mom be your maid of honor?
* Do you have to attend more than one party for newlyweds-to-be?
* Should the bride pay for her bridesmaids' dresses?

Photo: Thinkstock

Our real brides modeled TONS of gorgeous wedding dresses from Watters and Wtoo, and now two of you can WIN one of them! Actually, you can win more than a wedding dress. Two sweepstakes winners will each get a $2,000 Watters/Wtoo gift card, so you could get your dream wedding dress and still have enough to score a pretty accessory or two! (I adore these bold gold accessories from Watters' Euphoria Collection!)

The drawing is totally random, because we all know I'd love to give a free wedding dress to each and every one of you, so I could never choose a winner. (So while I love hearing your stories, emailing me won't improve your chances!) Click here for all the official rules.

To see more pretty dresses on real girls, check out our real-bride models:

• Tonya
• Rachel
• Katie

Which of these wedding dresses is your favorite? Are you going to enter?!

You BETTER enter! I wish I needed a wedding dress!

Had Pinterest and Lover.ly and all of these other cool sites been around when I was planning my wedding, I guarantee I would have turned to them for ideas: decorations, gowns, shoes, nail color, napkin style, you name it. (Heck, I even pin pretty wedding-y stuff now.) I mean, inspiration can only be a good thing, right?

Actually, some wedding experts exercise extreme caution when it comes to "Pinterest brides"—women who want their weddings to be exactly like their inspiration boards. One example: photographer Corey Ann, who writes on her blog:

"The main reason that I am quite frustrated with Pinterest right now is that it sets up unreal expectations for wedding photography.... Last year was the first year I was sent Pinterest boards with requests from clients to rec-reate the images exactly as they were for their wedding.... Every time I would ask that they use these images for inspiration and not re-creations, but sometimes I would lose the battle. I want you to have the images from your wedding day that you dream about but ideally I’d like them to be about you."

And FStoppers quotes photographers Troy and Aimee Grover, who second the emotion: "There are so many aspects that go into composing a photograph, most importantly the lighting, environment and the subjects. Sometimes, the most amazing photographs happen by chance and can’t be re-created. Unpredictability is one of the things we find most inspiring and exciting about photography."

Maybe it's sort of like when you go to your hairstylist with a photo of a model sporting a super-trendy pixie cut that works for the model—and her cheekbones and her super-long neck—with the thought that you will look just as good. And then your experienced hairstylist suggests gently that the cut may not be the right thing to highlight your own unique features, but you insist—and 30 minutes later, with way less hair, you are holding back tears because OMG what have I done? (This may or may not be a real, traumatic example from my own life. Ahem.)

In other words, according to some photographers: If you're going to have inspiration boards, awesome. It can be a fantastic way to home in on the things that you might really want to make your wedding personalized and special. But use the boards for actual inspiration...don't demand re-creation.

What do you think? Do you agree with the photographers' sentiments?

Photo: Thinkstock

If you've even once wondered what it must be like for a groom to see his bride for the very first time as she walks down the aisle, you're going to love this.

Michael Kammes wanted to capture his wedding from a unique perspective, and he got it. He posted this explanation to his YouTube channel: "I wore several hidden HD Cameras at our wedding to capture every moment from my point of view. This video is of the hidden camera I wore at eye level during the ceremony and reception. Here are the highlights, including the best moments from the ceremony, first entrance, first dance, cake cutting, and garter removal!"

What do you think? A new kind of perspective, no? (I think it's sweet!)

More groom-centric, unique wedding-y things:
* How Zach Braff helped one guy propose
* Proof that your guy can rock a rental suit
* Prince William's ring finger is...naked!

Photo: Thinkstock; Video: Michael Kammes/YouTube

Kate Bosworth scored a handsome new husband AND two eye-catching new wedding rings when she said "I do" to Michael Polish over the weekend.

The rings, custom made by Ocappi (read more about them here), took more than 36 hours to hand-craft.

The band on the left was designed with a very fine profile to go seamlessly with Kate’s 1920s art deco engagement ring (see that here). It features 18 brilliant baguette diamonds bezel-set horizontally, with just over a half carat of diamond weight. The band on the right boasts 12 scintillating diamond baguettes, one to represent each month of the year. The second ring is also over a carat of diamond weight.

Ocappi creative director Haki Abehsera called the pair of horizontally set bands "Uncommon, like Kate."

Whether or not you want one wedding ring or more, here are some inspired by picks:

Wedding Ring 1

Channel-Set Square Diamond Eternity Ring from Blue Nile, $6,500.

Wedding Ring 2

Vintage Diamond Baguette Ring from Brilliant Earth, 1,525.

Wedding Ring 3

Meridian Diamond Ring from Brilliant Earth, $1,225.

Wedding Ring 4

Art Deco Eternity Wedding Band from Leigh Jay Nacht, $1,500.

Thoughts on Kate Bosworth's custom wedding rings? Which of the "inspired by" picks is your favorite?

Who says weddings have to be afternoon or evening affairs? Late morning is absolutely open too—and there are plenty of ways to make your brunch wedding as gorgeous and memorable as other times of the day.

DO remember that an early wedding doesn't preclude having cocktails. (My husband and I had a brunch wedding, and we opted for mimosas and champagne, along with a bar with simple beer and wine choices. It was enough for people to get a little extra-celebratory—while also cutting down the possibilities for any super-crazy shenanigans!)

DON'T think that this means no dancing. Of course you can have dancing! The brunch hour might mean not loading the playlist with anything too raucous, maybe, but if you want to dance, your guests will too.

DO realize there are tons of good food options for the morning hours. Think waffle bars with all kinds of toppings, omelet stations with delicious mix-ins, even steak, salads, and pastas aren't off the list. After all, brunch means you can pick and choose what you want from breakfast and lunch.

DO realize that you may actually get discounted rates from vendors for your A.M. affair. The slot isn't considered "prime time," and pay-per-plate menus usually cost a lot less.

DON'T forget the cake—or cupcake or doughnut tower. Sure, people may be stuffed from waffles, but it's always a good time for cake.

DO know that, like with other weddings, you can have the event be as formal and as festive as you like. You can make it fancier with fine china, table service, and a four-course meal; more casual with different kinds of DIY food stations.

Would you consider a brunch wedding? What kinds of elements would you want to include?

Photo: Thinkstock

Pachelbel's "Canon in D" is beautiful and always appropriate (unlike some other possibilities!), even though not the most original of pieces to walk down the aisle to at your wedding. Unless you play it yourself.

When Andrea and Jordan Strauss were married, they surprised their 150 guests with an electric-guitar rendition of the piece, playing it while they walked down the aisle. What's especially sweet is that Jordan is a full-time music teacher, and he taught Andrea how to play the guitar specifically for their wedding (she had no prior music training)! And the part that's especially impressive? She did it wearing a wedding gown, sporting fake nails, and walking in four-inch heels. And she doesn't seem to have any stage fright at all!

I think it's sweet! What do you think? Would you ever attempt anything like this?

Photo: Thinkstock; Video: jordan0204/YouTube

Writes Save the Date reader Anne:

I had known this guy for a while from church, but we had never dated because we weren't both available at the same time. Then he and his longtime girlfriend (they were together for four years) broke up, and we were married five months later. We've been married for two and a half months, but I have a strange feeling he's still in love with his ex. He's emailed her a number of times. In fact, a week after our wedding, I found an email he wrote saying he was thinking of her. Was it a bad idea to marry my husband? What do I do now?

Here are my thoughts:

Hoo boy. Well, plenty of guys go through a breakup and go on to marry the next girl who comes a long and live happily ever after. I've seen it happen several times in real life. (In fact, didn't they make a movie about this phenomenon?) And plenty of guys (and girls) stay in touch with an ex without harboring feelings. I email my college boyfriend—we broke up more than a decade ago—on his birthday or occasionally when something reminds me of him. I don't think that makes me shady, and I certainly don't have romantic feelings for him. I also don't try to hide our limited contact from my husband.

The only thing that concerns me about your situation is that I feel like you're being sneaky. I'm wondering how you "found" an email your new husband wrote. If he left it up on his screen and you stumbled across it later when you were going to use the computer, I think that's totally fine. He's not trying to hide anything from you, and you're not breaking into his email. But if you ARE breaking into his email, that's a problem. Your whole relationship is pretty new (less than a year old), and it sounds like you're building it on a foundation of sneakiness and dishonesty.

If you want to know whether your husband still has feelings for his ex, don't ask me {as much as I love hearing from y'all! }, ask your husband. He's the person who can give you the most straightforward answer, and he's the person who you're supposed to be able to talk to about anything! You can casually say, "Have you talked to so-and-so lately? What's new with her?" and see where he takes the conversation. If he says, "Yeah, I emailed her because I saw her brother's Little League team made it to the play-offs" LET IT GO. If he denies being in touch with her, it REALLY sucks that he's being dishonest, but breaking into his email isn't the most honest thing, either, so he's not the only one being dishonest. If that happens, I think you have to 'fess up to being shady and hope that he does the same.

If you can both move past this bump in the road, I don't think it has to derail your marriage. But I think, moving forward, the two of you have to make honesty a priority. Rather than worrying about his last relationship {he married YOU! }, put your energy into this relationship. Focus on your marriage, and hopefully everything else will fall into place.

Ladies, what do you think? Should Anne be freaking out? Or is she WAY over-reacting? Are you in touch with any of your exes?

Photo: Thinkstock.

Whoa, talk about exclusive.

According to The New York Times, the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Puerto Rico has teamed with designer Lela Rose to offer three styles of wedding dresses, available only to brides having weddings at the resort.

At first, I thought the dresses were part of the package—book a wedding, get a gown—but it's actually a bit cooler than that. These gowns by Lela Rose—which include an off-the-shoulder style, one with a sheer back, and one that has a dramatic flare at the bottom—are all custom-sewn (and start at $5,995 before alterations). If you're in New York City, where Rose is based, you can go to her boutique for fittings; if you live somewhere else, she'll send you the gown along with a list of recommended tailors in your area who can nip and tuck it into perfection.

I, unfortunately, do not have pics of the gowns in question, but here's a gorgeous example of Rose's work that Kim posted a few months ago:

An interesting option if you're kicking around Puerto Rico as your destination of choice, right? And you'd pretty much be guaranteed that almost no one would have the same wedding gown as you!

More wedding gowns:
* Win your dream dress from Watters
* 4 lovely dresses from Vera Wang for David's Bridal
* 3 signs you bought the wrong dress—and how to fix it

Photos: Thinkstock; WWD/John Aquino

Most brides don't get a one-of-a-kind wedding gown crafted by Oscar de la Renta, like Kate Bosworth did (see her fitting with the designer here!). But David's Bridal has a bunch of look-alike gowns that capture all of the pretty of Kate's couture wedding dress—without the couture price tag.

Wedding Dress 1

David’s Bridal Collection Strapless Satin A-Line Wedding Dress With Beaded Waistband (style WG3389), $499.

Wedding Dress 2

David’s Bridal Collection Strapless Ruched Bodice Tulle Ball Gown (style MK3576), $599.

Wedding Dress 3

Oleg Cassini Collection Sweetheart Ball Gown With Beaded Floral Applique (style CPK512), $1,000.

Wedding Dress 4

Galina Collection Strapless Shantung Taffeta Sweetheart Ball Gown (style T3039), $499.

Thoughts on Kate Bosworth's wedding dress? Which of the "inspired by" picks do you like best?

I looooove No. 2! So romantic!

Photos 2-5: Courtesy of David's Bridal.

You dream, you plot, you plan...and even then, sometimes your wedding doesn't come off exactly the way you might have expected. That doesn't mean it's a disaster, though! In fact, if you're anything like these three couples, it just makes for more memories.

Here, the bride makes her entrance on a horse! Apparently, the bridal entrance was entirely a surprise...as was the exit.

Oops—one hand holds confetti, the other holds a Pimm's Cup. So easy to get them confused! The older woman is understandably very upset by her mistake (aw), but according to the groom, the couple laughed it off right away (and he posted a super-sweet followup video to reassure everyone that Grandma was OK!).

When the organ music stops, the wedding is supposed to start. Supposed to.

Sometimes, you just have to roll with it! My husband and I each (separately) forgot our vows—but it was funny then, and it's still funny to us now.

Which is your favorite? Have you seen any in-action weddings go awry?

Photo: Thinkstock; Videos: YouTube

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, so what does that make an engagement ring? While you ponder that, we'll give you the answer to a tricky question—how much should an engagement ring cost? Brides tossed that question the way of its wedding etiquette experts, who helped nail down a figure.

How much is too much to spend on engagement ring?

The answer depends entirely on your fiancé-to-be's financial situation. On average, a guy will spend about $5,229 on the engagement ring, but some guys spend a lot less and some spend a whole lot more. (Justin Theroux, for example, forked over about half a mil on Jennifer Aniston's rock—hello!) As a rule of thumb, most jewelers suggest that men shell out about three months of their salary. But if he's heavily in debt or concerned about his job security, he may want to scale back. Worried your boyfriend will be tempted to go overboard? Slip your opinion into a casual conversation. Try something like "You know, Jen was just telling me the other day that she really wishes her husband had spent less on the engagement ring so they could have had a bigger wedding budget to play with. I think some guys are going a little crazy these days. If a woman really loves you, she's also going to love the ring, no matter how much it costs. Honestly, I don't think anyone should spend more than $[fill in the max you want him to spend here], don't you?"

—Written by Brides

Pretty clever, don't you think? How much do you think should be spent on an engagement ring?

More from Brides:
*How to Find the Perfect Wedding Dress for Your Body Type
*Engagement Rings Under $5,000
*50 Ways to Trim Your Wedding Budget
*The Most Creative Wedding Cakes of the Year
*The Latest Wedding Dress Trends From N.Y. Bridal Fashion Week

Photo: Courtesy of Blue Nile

Inviting and including kids to your wedding can be a sweet thing—I mean, look at this:

Alternatively, it could be like this (which is still kind of sweet, in an "aw, screamy" sort of way):

The simple fact is: Some people want kids at their weddings and other people don't. Or maybe you want to include them without including them, if you know what I mean—have them around, but not necessarily in the middle of all the action (or readily available so that they can be spontaneously in the middle of the action). Whatever your preference—hey, it's OK! But it's important to let parents know what you want so they can plan accordingly. Here are a few ideas:

* If you're OK with having kids on the premises but not at the ceremony (or give them an alternative to hanging out at the reception), consider hiring/enlisting trustworthy babysitters to watch them in an adjacent room, or—if you're having an outdoor wedding—in an enclosed grassy area. You can order pizza (cuts costs!), provide toys, video games, coloring books, chalk, magnifying glasses to look at bugs, etc. That way, they're around—and nervous parents can feel assured that their kids are nearby and doing fine. One note: The babysitters/caregivers need to be really on top of things and not allow, say, impromptu marker drawings on chairs and carpets. That may just incur cleaning costs for the newlyweds.

* If you invite kids to the reception, you can designate a children's table that's more than just pint-size food and drink. Make sure it's filled with crafts, puzzles, crayons, and kid-appropriate things to eat (believe me, most will way prefer mac 'n' cheese to steak tartare. And it's cheaper!).

* If the parents ask to bring their own sitter or nanny to look after the kids at a separate table while they enjoy the wedding, give it fair consideration. Naturally, this is at your own discretion, because you'll need to provide the nanny with food and a place setting, too—and your guest list is your guest list, so parents will understand your decision.

* Don't feel guilty about not simply not inviting them. It's absolutely within the bounds of etiquette, especially if you have an evening or cocktail-hour wedding. And, honestly? As the mom to two little ones, I wouldn't be insulted if they weren't invited—in fact, I'd be more relieved to know definitively and book a babysitter, instead of constantly weighing the pros and cons of bringing them until the day of the actual event.

Do you have any other ideas? How do you feel about kids at weddings? What rules of thumb do you follow?

Photo: Thinkstock; Video: YouTube

We just saw—literally!— what it's like for a groom to watch his bride walk down the aisle, but this other guy is thinking ahead. Way, way ahead! So much so, he spends a lot of time sorting through all of your Pinterest wedding boards to find the stuff that he thinks other men would like most on their wedding days.

Refinery 29 found an unnamed and anonymous guy has an account on Pinterest called "A Man's Thoughts on Your Pinterest Wedding," where his profile (which includes a photo of a smoldering Ryan Gosling—it's a little, um, distracting) reads: "I'm a man. With a beard. The mission: to tirelessly filter through hordes of wedding boards for things that we men truly appreciate—in the manliest of ways."

His own boards include stuff like, "A Man's Thoughts on Hot Wedding Dresses,""The Studliest Styles for Grooms," and "A Man's Thoughts on Wedding Cakes."

And, I don't know—I think it's kind of fascinating. I mean, the things he's pinned and repinned are actually rather lovely—it so easily could have been a junk account, filled with beer-shaped cakes and the skimpiest of wedding night lingerie...but it isn't.

Naturally, the Internet being the Internet, he may not really be a guy—or maybe he really is Ryan Gosling (OMG)! Even so, I totally admit I had some fun flipping through his ideas.

What are your thoughts? Is it neat to see what a guy (assuming here) has culled from your Pinterest boards?

More wedding ideas:
* Awesome wedding idea: a slow-motion video booth
* An incredibly simple, time-saving wedding planning idea
* Black, white, and very chic wedding ideas

Photo: Thinkstock

No, we don't know who these newlyweds are, but they certainly made a splash when they got married during the pregame festivities at a University of Tennessee football game. Twitter was all—um, you know, all a-twitter about it:

#IDo! RT @LauraLMonroe33: You know youre a true VOL fan when you have a combined tailgate / wedding at the game! #VFLpic.twitter.com/LVKqPsXx8J

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 7, 2013

Tennessee gameday tailgate wedding. The bride. pic.twitter.com/IorOsPjiZb

— Zackary Peddicord (@PeddiVOL) September 7, 2013

Sure, there are some shorts present—and, of course, the requisite orange—but this hardly looks to be a just-beer-and-hot-dogs kind of affair. I mean, look at the bride walking down the grassy aisle in that long, strapless gown. It's definitely a wedding with a theme—but I don't think it's at all over the top.

Do you?

Photos: Thinkstock; Twitter

Put your work on hold for just a minute and let these insanely pretty reader engagement rings ease you into the week!

Engagement Ring 1

This lovely double-halo ring belongs to a lucky girl named Virginie.

Engagement Ring 2

Emily's boyfriend proposed at "a secret location" in Disneyland. Her ring was inspired by her great-grandmother's ring from 1920.

Engagement Ring 3

Alison was waitressing when she met the guy of her dreams "when I least expected to find someone." {That's always when it happens! } He proposed at the restaurant where they met.

Engagement Ring 4

This super-unique ring belongs to a reader named Paloma.

Engagement Ring 5

Another nontraditional sparkler: "We've been together for nine years and he somehow STILL managed to surprise me," says Sonia.

Which of these engagement rings is your favorite?

If you'd like to share a photo of your ring on Save the Date, you can click here to submit it with the contact form. Or you can email a photo to glamour[dot]weddings[dot]girls[at]gmail[dot]com. I try to run reader engagement ring posts often, so take your time and send a biggish, nonblurry photo! (Please DON'T send an Instagram photo or add text or special effects!) And if you've already sent a pic, sit tight—it's coming!

Scarlett Johansson has confirmed her engagement to French journalist Romain Dauriac and continues to flash her ultra-pretty art deco engagement ring as she promotes Under the Skin, here at the Toronto International Film Festival. Here's a better look:

And here's a side view:

Because the ring is flush against her finger (not sticking up, like a traditional setting), I'm assuming the diamonds are rose-cut, which would make them shallow and sort of flat instead of dramatically pointed. (Click here for a visual if you can't picture it.) So even though the ring takes up a substantial amount of space on her finger, it's probably not monstrous, carat-wise.

And here are my "inspired by" picks. Usually I choose rings from a variety of sources, but Kwiat's Vintage Collection kind of nails this look, so five of the six rings below are from that; the sixth is an actual vintage ring.

Engagement Ring 1

Trio Diamond Engagement Ring from Kwiat Vintage, $14,800.

Engagement Ring 2

Diamond Engagement Ring With Two Rose-Cut Diamonds from Kwiat Vintage, $8,500.

Engagement Ring 3

Elongated Diamond Engagement Ring from Kwiat Vintage, $8,300.

Engagement Ring 4

Celeste Diamond Engagement Ring from Kwiat Vintage, price available upon request.

Engagement Ring 5

Diamond Engagement Ring from Kwiat Vintage Collection, $3,350.

Engagement Ring 6

Monticello Diamond Engagement Ring from Trumpet & Horn, $2,100.

Thoughts on Scarlett Johansson's engagement ring from Romain Dauriac? Which of these engagement rings is your favorite?

Photos 1 & 3: Getty Images

When Jason Mortensen was waking up from hernia surgery (yowch!), his wife, Candace, took a video of him coming out of his haze. And—oh my gosh—when he realized that he was actually married to the gorgeous woman next to him...well, just watch.

It's safe to say I've watched this about seven times now, I love it so much. "Your teeth are perfect!" "Do we have any children?" "Did I give you that ring?" "I hit the jackpot!"

And while Jason says he doesn't remember any of it—which makes total sense! Anesthesia can make you wacky!—the purity his responses and restated appreciation for her are just priceless. He writes on his YouTube channel: "This was my fifth surgery within our six years of marriage and she's been by my side through all of it. In a previous surgery I suffered a severe complication and we didn't know if I'd ever function the same again. She is the love of my life."

Awww! OK, I'm going to watch it again now.

Do you love it?

Photo: Thinkstock; Video: Jason Mortenson/YouTube

According to tradition, you freeze the top tier of your wedding cake and eat it on your one-year anniversary. (Here's how to do it if you want to—personally? We weren't too successful. But it was cool to see it in the fridge every day for a year!) But as much as your guests love cake, you might have some leftovers after the big day—and you don't have to let them go to waste. In fact, you can still have your cake and (ahem) eat it too.

The Daily Meal came up with a tasty list of things to do with those tasty tidbits. These are my favorites (and they kind of make me wish I had cake right now):

Put it in a sundae. Slice the cake into cubes and use it as your base for an ice cream sundae.

Make ice cream sandwiches. In keeping with the ice cream theme, take pieces of cake and use a cookie or round biscuit-cutter to cut them into circles. Dip them in melted chocolate and sprinkle with cookie crumbs or nuts. Bonus: You can freeze to eat later.

Use it in granola. OMG: wedding cake granola! Toast a few slices in the toaster, chop it up super fine, and sprinkle into your granola for some extra flavor and texture.

Create croutons. Cut the cake into crouton shapes and toast them or bake them until they're crunchy, then sprinkle them on top of your salad for a dash of sweetness.

Fry up some French toast. Use cake slices instead of bread! I'll bet you wouldn't even need syrup for these babies, either.

What do you think: Will you save your wedding cake?

More about wedding cake:
* 5 cakes inspired by fashion runways
* 10 wedding cake alternatives
* What do you think of these new wedding cake ideas?

Photo: Thinkstock